Monday, May 11, 2009

WPA art in the Washington Collection

James Washington met Henry Freund in 1943 at Camp Robinson in Little Rock, Arkansas.They became good friends and exhibited in two art shows together at the base.

Freund was drafted into WWII and served as a conscientious objector.He spent his time in the Army painting murals to help illiterate troops understand what they would experience in basic training.

During the WPA, Freund painted murals in Post Offices in Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri.He also traveled through the Ozark Mountains capturing the vanishing culture of the rural areas.He was famous for his American Genre paintings.